Does anyone know which VIN# corresponds to the November 2005 production that includes the standard traction control? I have a dealer looking for a 6sp with traction control, and was surprised to find out it was a standard option starting in Nov. From the cars I looked at the earliest VIN# is C827xxx.

Also, does anyone have any experience with the Nissan traction control? Is it really worth trying to get?

Thanks.

 

My '04 doesn't have it....the little experience so far...I'll be regretting it when the snow flies

 

I have traction control on my '04, but have not been in a situation where it has come into play.

Traction control has been around for years, and was controversial in the early days. It seemed when drivers accellerated while moving at speed on wet roads, very strange things happened, including total loss of control with a resulting spinout.

Supposedly, that situation has been remedied. Given a choice, I would always get the traction control, as it definitely can be helpful at low speeds when traction is a problem.

I wish I could help you with the exact VIN serial # with which TC became standard, but I haven't even been able to find out exactly which day in November it became standard. All I can suggest is when you find a car made in November (or earlier) that otherwise meets your requirements, either ask if it has TC, or get the VIN serial # and go to that dealer on nissanusa and check that car for TC.

 

Maybe. I always thought my traction control was shutting down power to a spinning wheel, allowing the one with traction to take hold.

When purchasing my 04, I was insisting on TC and the Sales Manager showed me the reference manual for salesmen. It stated that TC only cut the engine's RPM's when spinning, not cutting power to any wheel. He went on to tell me that once (after an ice storm) none of the Maxima's in the lot would move. Only after they turned off the TC were they able to get them going.

Keep that in mind this winter.

I still bought the TC.

 

A good device to have, but rarely used......

 

Originalstarlit - Very interesting. If the technical publication referenced is correct (and it probably is), then, at low speeds, the traction control on the '04 Maxima is doing little more than keeping the driver from spinning the wheels. That can be good, as spinning the wheels when stuck would not only result in the car going nowhere, but could possibly cause the tires to dig themselves into a hole from which escape could be difficult.

At high speeds, Nissan's approach would avoid the problem I mentioned in my earlier post above, where the system applied the brakes to only one wheel, sometimes resulting in a loss of control.

In reality, for many drivers, this system just might get the job done.

The vehicle dynamic control system (VDC) does have the ability to send signals (such as braking) to individual wheels, and to send them for intervals as short as a few thousandths of a second. I have hopes VDC will eventually be standard on the Maxima.

 

Little95Max...I have it on my less than a week old 05' 3.5 SE. We just had a dump of snow in Colorado over the last few days and it worked great...Maxima plowed through like a tank and not sliding side to side like some other cars on the road that I saw. Also had this option in my 02' Passat, which also did well in the snow. Again...I really only see the benefits to the max in the snow...not sure about rain and other situations.

Jimbo

 

trac on a 6 speed? that would be a stability thing not trac control...i dont have it on my 04 but had it on my 02 and to be honest with you..its kinda dangerous when your trying to pull out into traffic.......i dont miss it really...but it is nice i guess in some situations

 

Sup guys i'm new here, going to pick up my max tomorrow. The traction control is not standard. It's an option ($300) availiable only to automatics with sunroof.

 

I was in the same situation when I was buying my 2005 Maxima SE at the end of November.
In Michigan TCS is a must have option. I had trips when it was working almost
constantly. You can easily turnoff TCS when road isn't slippery or you stuck in snow.

1) Its standard for Maxima built in November or later.
2) Don't believe dealer when he or she will tell you that his Maxima has Traction Control.
2) Traction Control System will be listed on sticker for your car.

 

serpentkilla - As vopal responded, TCS only became standard sometime in November (no one seems to know the exact day). Prior to that, it was either a $300 option, or part of the VDC/TCS/full size spare/matching alloy wheel package listed at $900.

Most Maximas on most dealer's lots at this time were (like your new one) built before TCS became standard sometime in November.

Also, as vopal emphasized, TCS is NOT an addable option. Only the manufacturer can put TCS on a Maxima, and it will be listed on the official Nissan window sticker.

 

Damn, mine did not have it.

 

serpentkilla - Do not feel too badly. By my estimate, checking the nissanusa site, as well as local dealer lots regularly, only around five percent of '04 Maximas came with the VDC package (which includes traction control), and only about another five percent came with the 'standalone' version of traction control.

With the '05s, Nissan seemed to increase the percentage of cars with traction control, but not by much. By my perusals of the inventory on nissanusa, in September, only about twenty percent of '05s were arriving with either the VDC package or traction control. That percentage gradually increased through October, but most '05s built before TC became standard in November do not have TC.